Alright friends, so this is a tough question but I will try to answer it honestly. I went to Hong Kong about a year-and-a-half ago and after I got back I found that I could not put my camera down. No matter what I was doing I was always thinking about the next photo. Photography consumed my every waking moment. For the past 15 years I have been in information technology and I loved every minute of it routing, switching, Linux and Microsoft where my bread and butter. To want to leave that to pursue a career in art seemed insane to someone on the outside looking in. But for me photography has been little more than natural progression. Everything I've done up until now was leading me to this point.

My old desk at work. I purchased the XPro2 the day before this photo and was testing it's low light performance. While I was supposed to be configuring (don't worry I wrote a script months earlier to automate this process) a router.

No mater what I was doing I was always thinking about the next photo. At this point I'm just along for the ride and so far I must say it's been a bit bumpy. When I first got the idea in my head, it wasn't anything grand, just the want and desire to shoot as much as possible, as freely as possible. However I knew that realistically I would still need a way to support myself financially. But how would I generate enough to do this and still find time to get out and shoot?

Another early photo. Captured on a Sony A5100

I am eternally thankfully for ride sharing programs! Lyft and Uber have been freeing to say the least, choosing to do this was kind of like a light bulb going off, one of the reasons that I resurrected my photography was because it was always a good excuse to get out and interact with people and the world around me. Being an introvert, human interaction is not my usual operating mode unless I really enjoy being around that person/s.Even then, it takes me a few times being around new people to truly be comfortable around them. Ride-sharing would force me to break this habit by allowing strangers into my car forcing me to interact with them. My hopes on this point were simple (Drive and try meet new people along the way) and so far that aspect of this has been working.

This has given me the opportunity to work on small talk and other "social norms" which I have neglected/rejected all of my life for reasons related to the way i'm wired. And it's no different when I have a camera in my hand, the anxiety melts away, however I get lost in the viewfinder. And can sometimes lose focus (vocally) in regards to directing my subject if they can be (humans and to some extent dog's) directed.

My Fujifilm lineup. When people notice they notice.

If Anything when folks see/notice my cameras they're a great conversation starter, as you know if you've been following this blog. I shoot Fujifilm exclusively as far as digital is concerned. And let me tell you.. these cameras are excellent conversation starters. I get random compliments on how gorgeous my XPro2 is constantly, and as recently as yesterday, the other cameras as well if they even get (they're small and silent) noticed. These cameras make me want to get out and shoot and that's always helpful when walking the street and even while hauling passengers.

I've been trying to find balance in my life for sometime and it's always been tough to balance what I want to do professionally with what I want to do personally, and I think that it's starting to take a toll on my mental state. Which is why I enjoy Land and Cityscape's so much. Both get and keep me in tune with things on a larger scale and keep me focused on "The Big Picture" if you will. For me when I do a thing that thing is to become a way of life. Something to devote oneself to, to not "Half-ass" the thing but to fully embrace and do it. And that is what I do I try to allow my eye to ingest life and spit it back out in the mood that I was feeling during the time of capture.

My mood has been all over the place lately. I've been getting gig's but the work has been sporadic at best, and the pay inconsistent to say the least. But on the bright side, things are on the upswing. As the gigs that I have got have led to good feedback and some refereals.

A photo from an assignment with the East Bay Express. I love her smile!

Before I left the IT world, I took a chance and sent an email to one of the editors at the East Bay Express, he liked my work and asked me to come in for an interview. And too my delight he liked my work and has allowed me to grow as a photojournalist. I have had the opportunity to shoot a number of quality assignments with them in the past few months. I cant wait to see what 2018 Holds!

What is this blog about and why does it exist?